updated 10:35 am EDT, Thu July 5, 2007

LG VX8550 at Verizon

Verizon today made official the launch of the VX8550, better known as an update to the Chocolate. The revamped version changes the style slightly but also changes the control scheme. Replacing the directional pad is an iPod-like metallic scroll wheel that allows for quicker navigation through the media player as well as in some phone menus; the keypad is also touch-sensitive and includes vibration response, Verizon says. Storage has also been upgraded to handle microSD cards as large as 4GB and theoretically allows up to 1,000 songs to be swapped in and out of the phone.

Many features remain largely close to those of the original Chocolate currently on sale, including a 1.3-megapixel camera, EVDO mobile Internet, stereo Bluetooth, and support for assisted GPS through the carrier's VZ Navigator service. True to the prior leak, the phone will ship in the Chocolate's original black as well as Black Cherry and Blue Mint colors. Pricing is still unlisted in spite of the official announcement but is predicted to match the $100 of the original when bought with a two-year Verizon contract.

The phone part...

The phone part is not "locked". It's simply only wired to work with att. No visual voicemail, and probably no sms, not to mention that EDGE is an att thing, so you'd have to email or wireless internet unless you used the wifi, which may also be closed. This is really lame, and this dude needs to stop making public these pointless escapades which undermine real technological progress.